With the summer months and the holiday season upon us, it is time to think about home security. Traditionally, this time of year is a prime time for home burglaries. 

Whether you are away on your summer holidays, enjoying day trips to the beach, or out visiting friends and family, your empty home is a temptation for the seasonal burglar!

But, you can take some straightforward and preventative measures to ensure you deter these opportunistic thieves as much as possible.

Summer Security Tips

• Consider finding a trustworthy housesitter to stay in your house while you are away.
• Install an alarm system
• Join or form a Neighbourhood Watch group.
• Keep ladders and other tools locked in garden sheds and garages when not in use.
• Make sure your house is visible from the road. Keep shrubs and trees surrounding entryways and windows trimmed back so they don’t provide cover to thieves.
• If Santa brought you a new TV or another expensive toy, avoid leaving the box on the side of the road visible for rubbish collection; this is advertising for potential thieves!
• Close windows securely every time you leave the house and double-check you’ve locked all doors. Alternatively, install tamper-proof security locks that allow you to leave windows slightly ajar. About 30% of break-ins occur through an open door or window
• Hide valuable items like computers, jewellery, phones etc., out of sight
• Install motion-activated security lights in critical areas around your home. 
• Ask your neighbour to park in your driveway and collect your mail. If you have no one to collect your mail, consider stopping it while you are away.
• Put lights on timers so they come on at night, giving the illusion that someone is home.  
• Ask a neighbour or friend to make regular checks on the property.  
• Record and the serial numbers of expensive electronic items and take photos of other valuables. Email the images and serial numbers to yourself for safekeeping.
• Note down registration numbers of any suspicious vehicles. Burglars will often scope out the place beforehand.
• Be aware that burglars have access to social media. If you are going away don’t post this publically on your social media.
• Be smart with spare keys. Don’t leave them under a potplant, rock, or the under the backdoor mat. 

Remember, most burglars are opportunistic thieves looking for an easy target; they will avoid properties with obvious security measures in place and homes easily visible from the street. Another significant deterrent is any unpredictable activity. If you have someone checking on your house, a neighbour or a friend, ask that they visit at random times of the day; this way, if someone is watching your place, they will have difficulty determining when is the safest time for them to strike!

By running this checklist across your house before you head away or get carried away with summer day-tripping, you will ensure that your home doesn’t present as low hanging fruit – the irresistible option for the summer burglar. Not to mention, you are more likely to return to your house just as you left it!